The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 1 — Section 333

near, an emphwris being laid on him and would acknowledge more fully than this hie aotione by the addition of "Behold; " student of the Law), has in the person or here the official position is of but secondary the ideal Man not even the luxuries which importance. A certain; a (Revisc<l Version); correspond to those enjoyed by beasts and .r,. The Hebrew numeral not uncommonly birds. Such wns the love e.n<l self-abasement stands for an indefinite article ( of. eh. ix. 18 of the Restorer of cree.tion (Rom. viii. 21). [Westcott and Hort); xxvi. 69). Trench's B:atb not where to lay his head. He has no "' one scribll' ... with, perhaps, an emphBSie home to call his own. on the •one' to mark how unfrcquent such Ver. 21.-And another of hia (Revised offers were," is tempting, but improbable. Version, the) disoiples said 11J1to him. Dis- Bcnoe. St. Matthew alone records his pro- aipluin thewidersense(ch.v. l, note),whether fession. Perhaps because the distinction of the twelve had or had not been chosen. Jewish cle.ssee presented itself more vividly In the latter case, the man may ha~e been to his mind than to St. Luke's. And said 11J1to ThomBS (Trench, loc. eit.), but hardly Philip him, Master; better, with the Revised Version (Clem. Alex.) after John i. 43. Yet it is margin, teacher (11,lltlO'Kllh•)- It may be that precarious to see in him the despondency of he recognized one who was superior in on Thoma.s (John Ii. 6; IX. 24, 25) merely important branch of his own occupation, or, because hie father is dead, and he has lees probably, that he willingly accorded to scruplesabout immediately following Christ. him a title due to his occupation (of. John iii. Lord, suffer me first. The man's words 2; nnd infra, ob. xii. 38). I will follow thee ; imply a consciousness of a call. His heart l,.Ko7'ou6,t,0'01 0'01 (not fycl, 6.1Co7'.ov9./i0'01 ao,). told him thnt be ought to go, but he asks Self is placed in the background ; he is for a delay, and, in fact, e. real difficulty wholly taken up with that which he proposes seems to hinder him from going. St. Luke doing. Whithereoever thou goest. Though, places the Lord's "Follow me" before the as a scribe, he would naturally prefer quiet. me.n'e request; but here, as in textus.J. ContrBSt John vi. 66 (..-•p1E1rJ.-rovv). But criticism, procli-oi scriptio11i pr2stat ardua. the discomforts would be greater than he To go and burymyfather. Then lyingdead. expected. Observe, however, that there is Of all filial duties perhaps the most bind- no sign iu him of tbnt q,v..ap-yvpla of which ing (of. Tobit iv. 3; xiv. 10, 11). Observe he has been accused (Cram. Co.t.). Trench (1) thnt the borial would take place mnch strangely favolll's the suggestion that he sooner than ia usual wilh us, and would was J ude.s. Is A poc. xiv. 4 a reminisoenoe seldom be more than twenty-four hours of this offer? after death; (2) that, however, according Ver. 20.-And J'e8118 saith Ullto him, The to :Jewish law, the ceremonial observances foxes have holee. The Asiatic fox (Vulpe, connected with the burial and consequent oorsac) i11decidedly smaller than our EW'opean purifications would be.ve taken many days spec:ee, but bes the snme habits. And the ( Edersheim, ' Life,' ii 133). birds of the air (Revised Version, heat1en) Ver. 22.-llut J'UUB said 11llto him, Follow have n01ta. So the Old· Latin and the me, and let; Revised Version, kat1e. Yet common text of the. Vulgate (nidos), but the thought of leaving seems here merged birds do not generally live -in nests, nor is in thnt of permitting (of. eh. :uiii 14; "nests" so natural a meaning for Ka"Ta• !\lark v. 37; x. 14). The dead (Revised <TKT/v,1,a«s as" shelters" (cf. Trench, loo. ait.). Version, to) bll?Y their (Revised V crsion, Th& renderings in the true text of the Vul- 01.D'R) dead ( Tolir ,a.,,.wv v•Kpo6s ). The ga.te (tabernacula), and in Old Latin k, and paradox WCl8 self-interpreting. Let the Cyprian (devoraoria) are interesting. Re- spiritually dead have to do with death; vised Version margin hll.l!, "Gk. lodging- dead men belong in a special sense to them. place, " ( of. eh. xiii. 32 and parallel p1L8• Observe that there was no dnuger of his so.gee). But the Son of man. The original fntber remaining unburied. Christ means phrase," one like unto a son of man," wea that there are times when his service admit.a used in Dan. vii. 13, apparently as a symbol of no postponement, however sacred the con- of the Jewish nation, to which was to be flicting duty. His followers must on suoh given supreme power. There is no evidence occasions be very Na.zarites (Numb. vi. 7) that it wo.s understood of llfossio.h before or high priests (Lev. :i:xi. 11). St. Luke our Lord employed it, but rather the re- adds, "But go thou, and publish abroad the .verse ( cf. Bishop Westcott, on John i. 51 1 kingdom of God," and adds a third similar and especially Professor Sta.nton, 'Jewish case. and Christian Messiah,' pp. 109, 239, aqq.; Vere. 23-27.-Tlwi ,torn& on the lak& yet see Professor Sanday, in l:x-positor, Po.mllcl pnssages: Mark iv. 85-41; Luke January, 1891; of. further, eh. ix. G, note). Our Lord uses it here for the sake of the viii. 22-25. Matthew, as usu11l, is both con tmst it suggested to the lower orea.- shorter and less precise. Nosgen a.ml others tion. Man, the head of creation (ns none seo in this an " un,lesigncu coinciuence"  3'28 TIIE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. [on. vm. 1--34,